Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Ali Reza Enayati, Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister and Director General of Middle Eastern Affairs at the ministry, said that the agreement on resuming relations between Tehran and Riyadh “will pave the way for cooperation between the two countries, in a way that contributes to the path of development within the region.” .
Enayati added, in an interview with the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA), that he looks forward to “this agreement leading to the continuation of ties based on the principle of good neighborliness and sustainable development between Iran and Saudi Arabia.”
Regarding the Yemeni crisis, he said that his country “has a transparent and clear position regarding the crisis, that it is a matter that belongs to the Yemenis themselves, and they know what is going on in their country and know how to deal with it.”
He stated that “the Beijing negotiations that led to the agreement came after the two-year talks that took place in Baghdad and Muscat, which prepared the necessary ground for reaching the agreement.”
According to the news agency, Ali Reza Enayati said that there is an upcoming meeting between the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers, which is set according to the agreement within two months. In this meeting, details of the return of the ambassadors of the two countries will be discussed.
He said, “There was initially a discussion about the venue for hosting the meeting, but it seems that there is a need for more precise consensus in this regard, and then it will be determined whether there is a third party or not.”
Regarding the possibility of improving relations between Iran and neighboring countries, he said, “The Iranian government’s foreign policy is based on the principle of developing relations with neighbors, which has achieved some desired results so far.”
It is noteworthy that Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with Tehran in January 2016, after the attack on the Kingdom’s embassy and consulate in Iran, amid Iranian protests against Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
And on Friday, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iran and China announced that they had reached an agreement, in Beijing, to resume diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran and reopen their embassies and representations within a maximum period of two months, according to a joint statement of the three countries.
